1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to operating motor vehicles, and, more particularly, to formulating lane level routing plans for traveling between vehicle configurations.
2. Related Art
Much of the cognitive overhead of operating a motor vehicle involves lane changing. A driver unfamiliar with a particular route may, in an effort to avoid missing a turn or highway off ramp, resort to making one or several quick lane changes. Quick lane changes are often unsafe for both the driver and for nearby vehicles. When making a lane change, at least two fundamental questions can be considered: (a) “What lane should I be in?” and (b) “When should I change lanes?”. Due to the cognitive overhead associated with lane changes, some vehicles include navigation and route planning technologies. Navigation and route planning technologies assist a driver to reduce cognitive overhead on the driver.
These technologies fall into essential two categories: offline lane suggestion systems and warning systems. Offline lane suggestion systems can suggest a lane for a vehicle to move into. However, offline lane suggestion systems are typically unaware of which lane a vehicle is currently in and are not responsive to the local environment (e.g., do not account for actual lane usage). Additionally, suggestions are terminal conditions and do not provide a feasible plan for guiding the driver to the suggested lane. Warning systems can perform instantaneous blind spot detection to avert unsafe lane transitions. However, warning systems typically lack functionality for forward plans and are incapable of scheduling lane changes into the future.